TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 20, 2017 – Fifty years ago, long before Zagat, TripAdvisor or Yelp, Florida Trend embarked on a novel project – find the state’s best restaurants. In 1967, the 12 restaurants with the most votes became the first Golden Spoon winners. The Columba Ybor City was on that esteemed list, and has continued to earn this honor every year, for 50 years.
Today, from that 1967 list, only the Columbia, Bern’s and Joe’s Stone Crab survive. Impressively, the Columbia and Joe’s Stone Crab are more than 100 years old, and Bern’s is 61 years old. All are still family owned. The Columbia also is Florida’s Oldest Restaurant SM.
In 2006, the Columbia was named to Florida Trend’s Golden Spoon “Hall of Fame” – the industry’s highest regional award, given to Florida restaurants that are named Golden Spoon winners consecutively over a period of time. The Golden Spoon award recognizes individual achievement and distinctive contributions at an established eatery.
Signature menu favorites include the Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad®, Snapper “Alicante,” Arroz con Pollo and Paella, the national dish of Spain.
The Columbia Restaurant in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City was founded in 1905 and is Florida’s oldest restaurantSM. Additional Columbia locations include St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, the Historic District in St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida’s town of Celebration, Columbia Café on the Riverwalk in Tampa and Columbia Restaurant Café at Tampa International Airport. All Columbia locations are owned and operated by fourth and fifth generation members of the founding family except for Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport, which is operated in partnership with HMSHost. Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please see www.ColumbiaRestaurant.com for more information.